Romance: The Betrayal: Romantic Suspense With A Bizarre Twist (8 page)

He cocked his head, “You’re here early.”

“I wanted to get working on the research.  Is that a crime?”  She asked. 

She had quickly discovered the best way to get to him, was by acting like him.  While she didn’t like to perceive herself as rude and arrogant, she would do anything stand up to him.

“Not at all, I’m impressed,” he admitted.

She looked up, as he was walking out of her office.  She was confused by some of his attitude shifts.  She went back to looking up the research.  She jotted down notes of things that he might find beneficial. 

When she was done with his list, she got up and went to his office.  She put the packet down on his desk and turned away.  “Wait a minute, Marisa.”

She turned around, “You need me to do something else?” She asked.

He looked through her notes and placed them on his desk.  Their eyes met and he shifted in his seat.  “Is everything alright?  Something seems different.”

“Everything’s fine,” she spoke.  “Anything else?”

He shook his head, “I don’t mean to be abrasive…at least not all the times,” he laughed, but she didn’t crack a smile.  “You just seem to be a little upset about something.”  He paused, “If this is about the advance, maybe I was a little stern.  You don’t get paid for another week and I suppose I could get you part of your first paycheck.”  He pulled out his checkbook and she stared at him.  He appeared to be using his own personal checks.  “Would five hundred cover it?”

“Mr. Bradley, forget about it.”  She looked away, but he remained with his pen poised.

“No, I’m prepared to do this.” He argued.

She didn’t understand the sudden change.  “That’s nice, but you might as well give it up.  The reason I requested the advance is no longer prevalent.  Thank you, though.”

She turned away and headed out of the office.  She didn’t want him to see her flustered, but she felt dizzy.  She went back in her office and sat down.  She nervously began drumming her fingers on her desk. 

She tried to get focused on the next tasks on her list, but she was still struggling at his immense change of heart.  It didn’t add up.  She began typing on her computer and getting her mind on other projects, that she didn’t realize how late it had become.  She heard the buzzing of her phone.  She looked down at the phone, like it had grown a head. 

She pushed the button, “H…hello?”

“Jamison, will you please come into my office?”

Please?
She thought.  “Yes, sir.”  She replied, getting up and heading back to the office.  She glanced at her watch and saw that it was past lunchtime. 

She knocked on his closed door.  “Come in!”  His voice wasn’t gruff, but instead inviting.

She opened the door and hesitated, before pushing through the door.  When he looked up, it was definitely a smile on his face.  “Yes?”

He stood up and moved closer to her, “I just wanted to invite you out for lunch.  You have been working so hard and I thought we could both use a break.”

She fought the urge to check his forehead to see if he was running a fever.  “Well, I was planning on just going home.”

“Home?  That’s several blocks away.  This way you can get something to eat right away and it’s my treat.  What do you say?”  She hesitated, but finally nodded.  “Good,” he spoke and it came out enthusiastically.  He grabbed his sports jacket and followed her out the door.  She stopped at her office and grabbed her purse and then they were off.  She was confused, but she was hungry and figured that it wouldn’t hurt to just go out for a bite to eat.  At least she hoped not.

***

He waited for her to place her order and then he placed his.  The waiter left and he turned to her.  He didn’t know why he was suddenly nervous.  He didn’t remember ever feeling this way about a woman or anyone else.  “So, tell me about you Marisa.”  He replied, taking a drink of his coffee.

“Marisa?” She asked.  Her face turned red. “I don’t think you have ever called me that.”

“That’s your name, isn’t it?”

She laughed.  “Yes, but I didn’t think you knew that.  You usually call me Jamison.”

He hadn’t really thought about that, but he knew that his way of keeping distance between him and someone was to call them by their last name.  “Which do you prefer?” He asked, feeling his throat getting dry.

She seemed to contemplate that, “Either.” 

He smiled, “So, whatever I’m in the mood for?”

“Something like that,” she replied with a chuckle.  He hadn’t noticed her laugh before, but it filled a room and he was drawn to it.  There was a long pause, before she spoke.  “There’s something that I have been wanting to ask you.  It’s just something that I was interested in.”

He took another drink, preparing himself.  “Okay.  What’s that?”

“Well, at the interview I was told that there were several applicants.  Yet, you hired me right away.  Why?”

He hadn’t expected her to be so bold to ask the question.  Yet, he really didn’t expect her to be so bold about anything.  He was wrong about that.  “I suppose there was something about you that I felt would be the perfect match to the job.”

“That seems vague,” she replied laughing.

“Yeah, I suppose it is.  It’s like when you go out looking for a pair of shoes and you know the exact style you’re looking for.  You just know and there’s no point in waiting for another pair of shoes to come along, when you have the perfect pair right in front of you.  Make sense?”  He asked.

“Yes, you’re comparing me to shoes.”

He laughed, this time feeling a blush brushing across his face.  “It’s just an analogy.  When you walked through the door…I just knew.”

He hoped it didn’t come across as corny, but he knew that it was the truth.  By the look on her face, it definitely appeared that she was not thinking it was corny.  “Okay, then if that’s how you feel…why have things been tense between us?”

The food came and he paused, giving him time to think.  When the waiter was gone, he looked back in her direction.  “They say opposites attract, so it’s obvious you and I would repel.  We’re a lot alike.”  She opened her mouth, but he placed his hand up, halting her. 

“I know you think that I’m arrogant and rude and any other name in the book.  You have been very vocal about that, but I speak my mind and so do you.  We are bound to butt heads, but that doesn’t mean that at the end of the day I’m not thankful you walked through my door.” 

He realized the way that came out, but he wasn’t about to apologize for it.  “I think that we could in essence make a great team, because even though you don’t see it…I do value your opinion.”

“That makes me feel good.  Thank you!”

He smiled, “Now, let’s enjoy the food.”  He took a bite of his salad and saw that she was finally getting comfortable and he breathed a sigh of relief.  Everything he had said to her was the truth.  None of it was lines that he was just feeding her and he hoped that she understood that.

***

Marisa stared down at the picture of Troy’s ex dancing with the other man.  Her mind kept going back to lunch with Jeffrey.  He definitely surprised her by the easy tone.  She had expected everything to be awkward and then when he told her why he chose her for the job, she found herself distracted.  There was a heat in his eyes when he spoke the words and she didn’t know if it was because she was attracted to him or lonely, but she suddenly felt like doing more than going to lunch with him.

She shook her head, removing the vision from her mind.  She looked back down at the picture, tracing the outline of the couple.  As she was doing that, she picked up the picture and stared at an image that she hadn’t seen before. 

She got up and moved to the window light.  In the corner there was a faint image of a man staring in the direction of the couple.  It was definitely Troy.  She was sure of it.

She got up and hurried to his office.  She stopped when she heard his voice echoing through the door that was a crack.  “You can’t do this to me, Janelle.  Haven’t I lost enough?”  She paused, leaning in toward his door.  “Please, don’t…Dammit…” she heard the sound of a slamming phone and she cautiously proceeded.  She considered leaving, but she had come this far.  She knocked and heard the faint sound of his voice, “Come in!”

She opened the door and saw that he was sitting at his desk, looking drugged.  “I…I can leave,” she stammered.

He shook his head, “Don’t bother.”  He sat up in his chair.  “Find something?”

She proceeded to his desk, awkwardly.  She held the picture, but before putting it in front of him.  “Tell me about you.”

He looked up and confusion was evident.  “Pardon me?”

She took the seat in front of me.  “Well, it seems that I did most of the talking at lunch.  I think you have a story to tell.  What is it?”

He shook his head, “Not worth telling.”

“Come on, Mr. Bradley.  I’m sure there’s something.  You have a beautiful family.  Start there.”

When he looked up, she sat back.  There was agony on his face and she regretted saying anything.  He reached for the picture and stared at it.  “Do you know why this picture is on my desk?”

She shook her head, “Probably because it’s your family and you want to show them off.”

“Well, at one time that was true.  However, now it just holds bad memories.”  She watched as he traced the picture of his daughter.  “Her name was Jasmine.”

“Was?”

He nodded slowly, looking up.  “She drowned last year.  She was just five years old.”  He smiled, “Believe it or not, I used to be a very charismatic gentleman and a family man.  However, one weekend we had decided to go camping and I was going to have to work late on Friday night. 

So, I told them to go up without me and I would come up Saturday.  My wife and daughter were in a boat when a storm came through.  She tried everything she could, but the boat capsized and Jasmine went under.  She was wearing a lifejacket, but the boat pinned her under. 

My wife couldn’t find her until it was too late.”  She could tell that the memories were painful and tears were forming on his eyes.  “I never blamed her, but she didn’t know how to swim and she blamed me for not being there.”

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Bradley.”

He nodded, “Please, call me Jeffrey.”  She nodded, as he continued.  “She called me and I rushed to the hospital, but it was too late.  Right after the funeral she said she wanted a divorce.  It was an amicable one.  We didn’t have a prenuptial, but I didn’t worry about her taking me to the cleaners.  It finalized and I thought things were done. 

My dad died last month.”  She covered her mouth, realizing the hurt he was feeling.  “I was left a hefty sum of money.  My ex is suing me for damages from the loss of her daughter.”

“Can she do that?” She asked in disbelief.

He nodded, “Unfortunately, people sue for all types of reasons.”

“It’s your daughter, too.”  She argued.

“I know, but her heart is still healing.”  He frowned, “My heart is still healing.”

“My feelings exactly.”  Marisa stated.  She was irritated by the news, but she wanted him to know that she appreciated him telling her the story.  “Thank you for opening up to me, but I just think that you’re getting the raw end of the deal.”

He smiled, “Yeah, you and me both.”  He shrugged, “It is what it is and I will just have to fight through.  Justice will win out, right?”

“I suppose,” she mumbled, staring down at the picture.

“You did want to show me something.  What is it?” she got up and walked around his desk.  She put the picture down in front of him and pointed out the image.  She was so close to him, that she was sure her breath was tickling his skin. 

Their eyes met and she saw a fury in his eyes.  She looked down at the picture.  “I think it’s Troy.”

He looked back to the picture and slowly nodded.  “I’ll be damned.”

“If he was there and saw the affair happening before his eyes, he could have gotten jealous.  There is just something about him that…”

“Doesn’t feel right,” he finished her sentence.

“You feel it, too?”

He nodded, “I just don’t want to jump to conclusions, but this is a very good start.”  She stepped back from him, needing a breather.  He stood up and turned to her, “Thank you for listening today and Monday we’ll try to dig deeper into figuring out the truth.”  He moved closer to her and she thought she saw that his eyes moved to her lips briefly.

“I think I’m going to head for the day.  You alright with that?”

He started to nod, but then his lips went down to hers and he kissed her.  She pulled away, not knowing what she wanted.  His eyes remained connected to hers.  “I’m messed up, no good…” he started.